Elements of Short Story

Elements of Short Story

1. Elements of Short Story DISCUSSANT: Sr. Marie Camelle S. Fernando IV- BEED

2. A short story is one of the forms of fiction writing. F iction is a series of events made from the imagination of the author. It is a prose writing which does not depend on verses, rhymes or meters for the organization and presentation of the narrative. SHORT STORY

3. Setting This element refers to the place and time of the story. When evaluating the setting, look for where the action takes place. In addition, the historical period may be important.

4. Conflict In every story, there has to be a problem. The main character has to be challenged in some way or the story will go nowhere. There are four basic conflicts to look for that may face the main character: ● Man versus man ● Man versus nature ● Man versus himself ● Man versus society Man vs himself

5. Man vs nature Man vs man Man vs society

6. Character The characters are the heart of the story. The two primary characters are called the protagonist and the antagonist .

7. The protagonist is the main character. It is not safe to call him the hero because the main character is not always heroic. He/she is the person with which the story is most concerned.

8. The antagonist does not have to be a human being. If he is a person, he may be the villain. This character does not have the main character’s best interest at heart.

9. Some characters do not change in a story: these characters are called FLAT . The characters that change or grow are called ROUND . A character is considered flat (or static) when he or she does not experience change of any kind, does not grow from beginning to end. Shakespeare often uses comic villains as flat characters, like Don Jon in Much Ado About Nothing..

10. Gertrude from “Hamlet” (William Shakespeare) Flat Character Round Character Severus Snape from “Harry Potter Series”

11. Sydney Carton , A Tale of Two Cities (by Charles Dickens) Dynamic - A dynamic character is a person who changes over time, usually as a result of resolving a central conflict or facing a major crisis. Most dynamic characters tend to be central rather than peripheral characters, because resolving the conflict is the major role of central characters. Static - A static character is someone who does not change over time; his or her personality does not transform or evolve. Scar, The Lion King (by Don Ferguson)

12. Plot The plot is the arrangement of the events in the story. The plot should follow some logical sequence of events. There are five elements to look in the plot. The Exposition -The initial events, the introduction of characters, and beginning of the story.

13. The Rising Action- The beginning of the conflict. Complications arise. The Climax- This is the highest point of interest in the story. It is the turning point that aims toward the conclusion of the story. The Falling Action- The events that occur which begin to resolve the conflict. Denouement- This is the final outcome of the story.

14. Theme This is the controlling idea or the insight that the author wants the reader to understand at the end of the story. The theme is often the author’s thoughts or view of a subject. Romance, Family Feud and Tragedy

15. Point of view This element of the story is how the story is told . It also determines who will be the narrator of the story. First Person -One of the characters tells the story and interacts in the story as well.

16. Third Person -the author can narrate the story using a “god-like” position in which he can see into the minds of the characters. Limited Omniscient - Still in third person, the narrator will only know what the character knows or what the author tells the narrator.

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